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Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Dead and the Damned is presented by Inception Media Group as an action-packed mutant zombie movie in widescreen and digital surround sound.

Mortimer, played by David A. Lockhart, is a bounty hunter in search of criminals. He is a man with a mission, working to collect enough money for his pregnant girlfriend to save the family ranch. His latest gig is to bring back alive Brother Wolf (Rick Mora) who, it's claimed, raped and killed a white girl from a prominent family.

After Mortimer buys Rhianna (Camille Montgomery), being sold in town, he takes her into the woods to trap Brother Wolf. After tying her up as bait, he sets himself up to ambush the man. While waiting, he nods off and Brother Wolf removes the bullets from his gun. Mortimer must now rely on his wits and his fists to capture his quarry.

Unbeknownst to the trio, back in town, miners have found a weird rock, and after digging it up, they return to the town to show off their prize. The townsfolk are bewildered and after cracking it open, spores pour out infecting everyone in the immediate vicinity.

Back in the woods, Mortimer has finally captured Brother Wolf alive. He has him bound and shackled, however, on the way back to town, Mortimer is shot at by another bounty hunter, The German (Robert Amstler). After an exchange of gunfire, The German is attacked by the mutant zombies, allowing the threesome to get away.

Not knowing what they are in for, the three come to realize that the woods are full of these demons and quickly head back to town. After arriving back in Jamestown, they find it empty of townsfolk and decide to hole up for the night in the town's saloon. After a relative calm, all hell breaks loose as the mutant zombies come to feed. Will they get out alive or become one of the hungry, mutant dead themselves??

The Dead and the Damned definitely falls into your B class of movie; the sets and costumes are not as authentic as you would wish. You can notice the sewing machine stitching in Brother Wolf's pants and the town is made of plywood, which was not invented until World War II. The acting is second rate and the plot is minimal at best.

Written and Directed by Rene Perez, this movie has many interesting aspects that could have been more substantially developed, but instead we are left with scenes of gratuitous breast shots without any real significance to the movie. In one scene, we are shown a young woman bathing in the middle of nowhere. Standing behind the bushes is one of the men who find the meteorite, however, there is no real substance of why this scene is included, other than to show some female skin. I found it to be tasteless and not required.

We are not shown when the meteorite actually falls, nor how the two men find it. There is absolutely no back story on the meteorite and I felt it was a significant part of the story that was lacking. I could see where the director wished to go with this film, and with better editing, these things may have been included, however, the editing aspects of the film may have hindered its overall presentation.

I loved the zombies and thought the makeup was great!! The special effects were decent for a low budget film as well as, some of the extras gave a great performance. With a little more experience, I can see Camille Montgomery performing in more productions of this genre. She played a great victim.

Evil Things from Inception Media Group starts out with five college friends getting ready for a trip to the mountains for Miriam's (Elyssa Mersdorf) 21st birthday. Miriam's Aunt Gayle (Gail Cadden) has provided the group with a cabin and after a slight misunderstanding, the group settles in for their wonderful weekend out of the city.

However, before the weekend ends, the five friends are in fear for their lives as someone unknown to them has followed them from the city and is playing a psychological game with their heads.

The first night they get drunk and have a great birthday celebration. The next day the five go on a hike to look for ancient Native cave drawings and they become lost in the woods. After hours and hours of searching, night has fallen, the group is getting scared and nervous, they are finally steered in the correct direction by the "animals" that they are hearing. Thankful to have "found" their way back to the cabin, they head inside to get warmth and food.

Later on in the night, the phone rings but no one is on the other end and there is a knock at the door. When they answer it, they find a package. The contents of the package freak the group out and they try to flee their surroundings and get back to civilization. However, it may be too late as each of the group go missing and there are no clues as to what or who is tormenting them.

The movie is shot Blair Witch Project style from the camera lens of Leo (Morgan Hooper), Miriam's boyfriend. It contains all the jostling and bouncing and out-of-focus shots you would normally encounter with a home movie. The audio is sometimes muffled, often you can hear them breathing or rustling as they move throughout the picture, giving it an authentic home -movie feel.

I thought that the backstory of the characters portrayed was long, tiresome and without any real direction. I would have liked to have seen more creep involved in this aspect of the movie. I think the movie could have done without a majority of the beginning narrative; I found my attention drifting while the first thirty minutes of the movie played out. As well, the opening scenes did not give me any real like for the characters in that I didn't learn anything about them that gave me a genuine interest in their adventure.

Laurel Castillo does bring a strong performance to the character of Cassy Crawford. She delivers it with as much finesse as she is able given the weak plot and poor direction. She is able to deliver a multi-character performance reaching into her depth and drawing out the fear and horror needed to give Evil Things a diversity to the characters involved, that would otherwise be lacking.

The interpretation of the antagonist in the story is definitely a creepy concept and it is outlined in a fashion that does bring the creep into you. In this, director, Dominic Perez, delivers the edge needed to make this picture worth watching.

However, we are given so little in the final outcome of the picture that you are left with more questions than answers. The added footage strewn throughout the end credits does not give any added significance to the overall movie, and I wasn't left with the impression that I needed to have seen it in order to fully understand the movie.

Evil Things is a horror/psychological thriller and is rated R. Its running time is 86 minutes and comes in DVD and widescreen format only. The Evil Thingsmovie trailer is the only extra feature included on the DVD.

It is the mission of Wisharoo Park™to consistently offer their most precious resource, our children, a creative means of social development and self-discovery. They are committed to building greater self-esteem in young children by helping them realize their own gifts and talents.

The core values for Wisharoo Park embody building self-esteem for children and they are dedicated to partnering with like-minded community organizations who support their mission. Their goal in establishing a community outreach program is to develop vibrant projects that support parent and teacher efforts to prepare children for the next development stage of learning through play and encouraging socialization skills in a fun and creative manner. Their community partners will also support the idea that play is vital to helping children prepare for the next big steps in their lives including preschool, kindergarten and first grade.

Wisharoo Park is a multimedia edutainment series designed to help children ages 3-6 recognize and appreciate their own individuality. With its technology-based curriculum, Wisharoo Park helps children discover and understand their own personal strengths and in doing so, develop greater self-esteem and a positive self-image. Unique among hundreds of preschool programs, Wisharoo Parkis specifically focused on teaching social skills and building self-esteem.

Wisharoo Park is a puppet, animation and live- action series that is delivered via multi-platform mobile apps, DVD and the web.

Children will love Wisharoo Park and parents will love the positive message that this magical park delivers.

Wisharoo Park: it's what you and your preschooler have been wishing for!

My Thoughts~!!

The kids and I just adored Wisharoo Park, the characters and backgrounds are rich and vibrant in colour which captures all young people and their imaginations.

The songs that the characters sing are fun, catchy and entertaining and we couldn't help but sing along. My grand-daughter and daughter thought Monkey B was the best character, they loved his Elton John like piano playing and the songs he creates. My son loved Pompy, the skunk who hasn't a clue about most things but is always willing to learn, after some coercion by his friends.

Each of the characters is loveable, from wise and motherly Wisharoo, the kangaroo with the simple solutions to most problems. Cali, the colourful and creative bunny who finds beauty in all that she sees. As well as Ranger Bob, The Duckles, Fisharoo and more, there is someone for everyone to enjoy!

We were pleasantly pleased with the DVD and the Wisharoo finger puppets that came with the video and the chocolate gift basket that it was all wrapped up in, was absolutely delicious!! The chocolate tasted like fudge and me and the kids just couldn't get enough. With the distance it had to travel and the heat wave that it journeyed through, I was quite surprised to find the bowl not a big puddle of chocolate soup. There was some slight melting at the edges, but they tasted just as scrumpdillyicious none the less!!

Now, we are offering FIVE of my readers a chance to win something kewl too!

TWO Grand Prize winners will win a copy of the DVD and a set of finger puppets!

THREE Runner-Ups will win the finger puppets!

How groovy is that??

&lt;a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&gt;You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway&lt;/a&gt;.

Join Dangerous Lee author of Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down Six Erotic Tales of Safe Sex, as she virtually tours the blogosphere in July, 2011, on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About Dangerous Lee

Dangerous Lee is a certified HIV Prevention Specialist and HIV Testing Counselor with Wellness AIDS Services, Inc. of Flint, Michigan. Dangerous Lee is currently studying Psychology at Baker College Online and also has an interest in working with at risk youth. She lives in Burton, Michigan with her daughter.

In 2008, her short erotic story, Til Death Do Us Part, was featured in the New York Times Best Selling anthology, Succulent: Chocolate Flava 2, edited by Zane. In March of 2010, Dangerous Lee self-published her first book titled, Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down, a book of six erotic stories with an emphasis on HIV education.

Dangerous Lee’s claim to fame is the humor advice column, Ask Dangerous Lee, where she dished out advice and opinions on love, relationships, pop culture, and celebrities. Ask Dangerous Lee was published monthly in the now defunct Uncommon Sense newspaper and syndicated in various independent magazines and websites nationwide.

Ask Dangerous Lee, the column, lead to the Ask Dangerous Lee Live radio show on the Blog Talk Radio online network. For more than two years Dangerous Lee, along with her co-host hip hop artist Hassahn Phenomenon, featured celebrities on all sides of the entertainment and media spectrum.

Working as her own marketing team, Dangerous has secured close to 50 media features over the course of a year. Dangerous is also a contributing writer for actress Monique Coleman’s official website, GimmeMo.com and is the co-founder of Book Bizarre, an annual event that highlights self-published authors in Flint, Michigan

About Keep Your Panties and Your Skirt Down

Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down is something that Dangerous Lee’s grandmother used to say as a warning against having sex too soon. These words were never forgotten and the advice is greatly needed, especially today. African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, but more than 50% of the new HIV cases are in the African American community. How can we change this? Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down answers this question, six different ways, erotically.

Read the Excerpt
from “Self Love and Pain”

I am in love with myself. That’s right; I turn my damn self on. As
I stand here in my black lace bra and panties I am turned on by my
full-figured image. I love my body. I’ve had this love affair before, but
now it’s permanent.

Unfortunately, my boyfriend died of AIDS. I am HIV negative.
We always had safe sex. I knew he had AIDS, and I also knew how to
protect myself. Winston was honest with me from the very beginning
and I made the decision aft er dating and getting to know him for three
months that I wanted to make love to him until the day AIDS took
his life.

Doesn’t sound romantic? That’s because you’re the type that
believes in fairy tales. Has a knight in shining armor ever tried to get
your phone number? Hell no! Real knights are usually in rusted armor
that require several cans of oil.

When I met Winston he appeared healthy as a race horse. Before
he got himself cleaned up and drug free he was an intravenous drug
user who shared needles with other IV drug users. By the time I met
him he was a very successful business man looking to make each
moment count.

Book Information

Title of Book: Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down
ISBN: 1450577067
Genre: Fiction/Erotica/Short Stories
Publisher: Create Space
Publication Date: May 15, 2010
# of Pages: 70
Purchase the book on Amazon

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Join Daren Krupa, author of the fiction coming of age novel Such a Nice Boy as he virtually
tours the blogosphere in July, 2011, on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About Daren Krupa

Daren Krupa’s junior class English assignment was to write a meaning of life essay. All he could think was meaning of life? I’m fifteen years old. I don’t know diddley about life! The one lucid moment of his youth.

A native of New York State Krupa grew up in Phoenix and worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, waiter and telemarketer. At least a dozen novels have presented themselves throughout his life. Such a Nice Boy is the second he wrote and the first to be published.

After love at first sight strikes gay Alan Hovey and married female co-worker Lindsey Ronan, Alan is outed, forcing both to face unresolved issues. Lindsey found her fiancé with his lover boy half a lifetime ago and never got over it. Alan’s controlling mother made men an attractive alternative. When Lindsey’s feelings threaten her career she’s forced to confront her past and her marriage. When Alan seems to go nowhere with boyfriend Parker he questions his lifestyle and his fear of women.

Title of Book: Such a Nice Boy

ISBN: ISBN – 13: 978-1461136019

ISBN – 10: 14611360

Genre: Mainstream fiction

Publisher: Daren Krupa

# of Pages: 290

SYNOPSIS:

It’s the summer of 1999 in Denver. Alan Hovey is living the life he dreamed: sex with handsome, buffed, eager men. Except he isn’t gay and it made no difference until he crossed paths with female co-worker Lindsey Ronan and her infant son Morgan. He starts getting notions about Lindsey, and being a heterosexual father whenever he’s holding Morgan.

Lindsey is married and afraid of Alan because of a traumatizing incident during college.
At work Alan has become a pariah for having boldly stood up for himself. He draws the attention of Frank Lively, VP of HR, homophobic and deeply closeted. Frank tries to harass Alan into quitting.

After Lindsey verbally demolishes him while shopping for making eyes at another, Alan meets a young man who says you’re with me because you’re mad at Lindsey.

Alan becomes more confused after accidently seeing Lindsey at work with her blouse off, and displays a very obvious reaction.

The path Alan follows and the choices he makes form the heart of a boy who at age forty two becomes a man. He crawls out of a family upbringing filled with death and chooses life. His coming of age is unique and compelling.

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

When Stars Align is an historical fiction set in the Confederate South.

Moss Grove, a cotton plantation, is owned by Jedidiah Rogers. He adores his wife, Ruby has a deteriorating relationship with his son, Henry, and his slaves are treated well. He has everything in life he needs and it is a good life until the day seventeen year old Henry rapes an eleven year old coloured girl in the fields, leaving her pregnant.

When Thaddeus is born, he is removed from Rose's hands and placed into the hands of the house slaves, Sarah and Jesse, who are childless. No one is to make mention of this day, nor the fact that Thaddeus' eyes are the same shade of blue as his fathers, nor that his skin is lighter than his "birth" parents, considerably lighter.

Along the way, we learn of the hardships of the Rogers family, their trials and tribulations. War is about to break out in the South, and Jedidiah is worried about the outcome. He knows that a lot of things are about to change and he is at a loss as to how to control the situation that fate has set before him.

We watch as Thaddeus grows and with that, his love for a red-headed white girl named Amy, whose older sister has married Henry. Theirs is a love that could never be, but times are changing. The North is about to win the freedom of the slaves and the future is about to change. No more answering to the white man as his master. However, even those things that are meant for good, often spawn evil, and with the black person's freedom, along come such atrocities as the Ku Klux Klan and the Jim Crow laws.

Many lives are entwined in this story of salvation as everyone works toward a future they believe would be best for all around.

I thought this was a very good historical book set in the confederate South. The author, Carole Eglash-Kosoff has caught the essence of the mind frame for this period in history remarkably. She wrote in such a way that at times I was outraged at the atrocities I was reading. She is able to draw from you the horror and the adversity that many people felt while living in this time. You could almost feel the old southern racism oozing from the pages, especially in the character of Henry. He is a nasty character and you cannot help but hate him from the onset. Your left to wonder, how such a incredibly unkind man could have ever been produced by such thoughtful and loving parents.

All the characters are rich and believable, bringing a depth to the story that will keep you wanting to know more as you watch their lives grow. One couldn't imagine the book without any of the characters involved, they belong in this story, giving the book, its breath.

The book is wrought with coarse language, heavy graphic nature and yes, the frequent use of the word, "nigger". However, none of that is written in an offensive way, just in a truthful way for the period in which the book was set. It works with the plot, giving you an in depth feel to the whole "ole south" mentality for the times. You also see how many people joined in with the confederates, not everyone wanted to run off to freedom. There are many free-born, mulattos, natives and black, who have sided with the South and you are given a glimpse into each of the thoughts and actions of each of the classes of people.

At times the writer drifted off given the reader a few mediocre fillers that I thought were unnecessary to the overall plot nor to build up suspense, however, you read through them quickly. It is a long read, over three hundred and fifty pages and the type is small, it is not a subject, nor a book, to take lightly, but it is definitely worth the read!!

SYNOPSIS:
The love that Thaddeus and Amy feel for one another can get them both killed. He is colored, an ex-slave, and she is white. In 19th century Louisiana mixed race relationships are both illegal and unacceptable.

Moss Grove, a large Mississippi River cotton plantation has thrived from the use of slave labor while its owners lived lives of comfort and privilege. Thaddeus, born more than a decade earlier from the rape of a young field slave by the heir to the plantation, is raised as a Moss Grove house servant. His presence remains a thorn in the side of the man who sired him.

Deepening divisiveness between North and South launches the Civil War and changes Moss Grove in ways no one could have anticipated. With the war swirling we see the battles and carnage through Thaddeus' eyes. The war ends and he returns to Moss Grove and to Amy, hoping to enjoy their newly won freedoms. With the help of Union soldiers, schools are established to educate those who were formerly prohibited from learning to read. Medical clinics are opened and businesses begun. Black legislators are elected and help to pass new laws. Hope flourishes. Perhaps the stars will now finally align for the young lovers.

In 1876, however, the ex-Confederate states barter the selection of President Rutherford B. Hayes for removal of all Union troops from their soil in the most contested election in American history. Within a decade hopes are dashed as Jim Crow laws are passed, the Ku Klux Klan launches new violence, and black progress is crushed.

'When Stars Align' is a soaring novel of memorable white, Negro and colored men and women set against actual historic events.

** Disclosure: I did not accept any compensation from the sponsors other than review copies, my views are my own, reviewed by me..as I see it~!! **

Sunday, July 24, 2011

SYNOPSIS:
First, the move to Maryland. Then Dad's deployment to Afghanistan. Sadie is in trouble. Then she gets Lucky, a new young horse who proves to be a handful. But that's just the beginning. Together they encounter horse thieves, Maryland storms,and unwanted horses destined for auction and uncertain futures. Sadie makes it her personal mission to save them. Along the way she meets other people who are dedicated to rescuing horses. She also learns that some people in the horse industry are driven by greed. She's twelve. Can she save the horses in time...and herself?

SYNOPSIS:
"Just like "24", only better!" "A female Jason Bourne!" -- Textnovel Readers Some lines should never be crossed. Living under a new identity in the tiny Northwestern tourist town at the base of Mount Hood, Melissa thought she had finally escaped her past. That is until an assassin tries to kill her and forces her back into a treacherous shadow world she vowed never to return. That same night an unmanned robotic SUV slams into the limousine of the Vice President of the United States and detonates with several hundred pounds of explosives. Melissa soon discovers that the attack on the Vice President and the attempt on her own life are related. And time is running out to find out who wants her dead and why she alone holds the key to saving the President of the United States.

They say every town has its secrets, but that doesn’t even begin to describe Whispering Pines. The townsfolk are a superstitious lot and the mystical disappearance of a local teen has everyone murmuring about a centuries old witch’s curse.

Sixteen-year-old Shiloh Ravenwolf is a heritage witch from the Broussard family, a family both destined and cursed. When she takes a summer job at Ravenhurst Manor, she discovers a ghost with an agenda. That’s where she meets the new town hottie, Trent Donovan, and immediately becomes spellbound by his charms.

Finally, Shiloh's met someone who is supercute and totally into her, but Trent may be the next victim on the supernatural hit list. And Shiloh is the only person with the power to save him. Complicated much?

It sucks to have a destiny, especially since Shiloh would rather spend her summer being a normal girl who worries about clothes and boys, not the supernatural. But she’s never been normal and the stranger things become the more her own magical senses awaken.

With cryptic messages from a pesky wraith, she will begin to understand the mysterious significance of the strange mark branded on her wrist and decide how much she's willing to sacrifice to protect the other teenagers in town.

Unfortunately, for Shiloh, not all ghosts want help crossing over. Some want vengeance.

MelanSol® was invented by Peter Zahner, a man who experienced basal and squamous cell carcinoma skin cancer first hand. It is specifically formulated to help prevent sunburn and the kind of skin damage that can cause these two non-lethal forms of skin cancer.

SYNOPSIS:
Ever heard of super fetation (Super Twins)? Common in animals, it’s where one twin is conceived BEFORE the other, say, a month, then they are born together as twins. One is a Preemie; the other is full term. Through a lifetime, this one case of Super Twins zigs and zags as the two twins demonstrate their envy for one another, and the conception order influences how they see each other throughout their lives.

The book and the sin . . .
“Super Twins” are a perfect way to study envy, for they come from the same womb at the same time, but started differently. The drama of envy starts in the womb when embryos battle for their position, then are born and live together, always trying to outdo the other, one more guilty of envy than the other. HEAD TRIP is a dramatic study of envy that, because of the details, fuels many surprise directions. The plot itself is loaded with many strongly metaphorical scenes that completely define character in a robust way.

SYNOPSIS:
Get Better Results by Increasing Your Psychic Sensitivity!The True Nature of Tarot dispels the myths and negative connotations that surround the tarot by sharing the personal experiences of the author, Diane Wing, a tarot reader with 25 years of experience. Tarot is discussed as a tool of enlightenment and understanding. Diane Wing shares intuitive techniques for reading that take you beyond the conventional card meanings and deep into tarot as a tool to channel energy and increase psychic sensitivity:

Develop your own style of reading tarot, from choosing your deck to pulling information from the cards.

Learn how a reading is experienced from the perspectives of both the reader and the inquirer.

Understand the variables that impact the accuracy of your reading.

Discover ways to increase the amount of information pulled from the tarot.

Become expert at grounding and centering to maximize your energetic stability on a daily basis.

Learn powerful spreads that give you ways to see interactions between the cards.

Monday, July 18, 2011

SAND GONE is a dry body powder that, when applied to sand covered skin, removes the sand and leaves the skin soft and smooth while feeling fresh and clean.

Sand Gone comes in an attractive eight ounce jar with a screw-able lid. Within the jar is a microfiber applicator. It is extremely soft but also durable. It can be cleaned by household washers and dryers when necessary. The applicator also has a strap across it to help secure it to the user's hand as the powder is applied.

The dry, white powder is both non-toxic and non-talc. It also contains a hint of coconut fragrance. Sand Gone is best used when cleaning up while leaving the beach. However, Sand Gone works perfectly well when cleaning up after the sand box, playground or wherever one encounters sand. It is like having a "dry shower" from a jar. In addition to removing the sand, Sand Gone also removes the salt from your skin after a day at the beach. No more uncomfortable "scratchy feeling" under clothing during the drive home.

After using Sand Gone, you will quickly find that it becomes one of those must-haves at the beach, sandlot or park. You will know to bring your sunblock and shades...but also your SAND GONE.

We thought that Sand Gone was an excellent product that does exactly what it states it does. After a day at the beach, we returned home and of course, there was sand on our bottoms and us ladies had it around our midsection. After dabbing the soft applicator into the powder, I applied it like baby powder and the sand came off instantly!! There was no tearing at my children's skin with a damp cloth trying to remove it, nor did they have to take a shower/bath and have to sit/stand in the sand as it washed off their bodies.

The powder did leave their skin feeling silky soft and the soft hint of coconut was enjoyable to smell. My young lady wanted ice cream after it was applied, said it reminded her of ice cream...LOL

I would recommend this for all you beach lovers out there...this will remove your sand and leaving you feeling clean and soft all over~!!

Want to win a jar of your VERY own?? Then by all means, please enter and may the Luck of the Irish be with ye~!!

** WINNER~!! **

8Rie Sheridan Rose Like Sand Gone on FaceBook

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** Reviewed by me...as I see it~!! **

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Over fifty years ago, a Nebraska-born entrepreneur settled in Santa Barbara, CA. This young Nebraskan cowboy dreamed of striking it rich. So like so many young men before him, he headed west with his high school sweetheart.

Nestled in the mountains, he stumbled upon 120 acres of sprawling land filled with streams, waterfalls and picturesque views outside Santa Barabara, California. It was here that Hidden Valley Ranch was born.

The family bought the land in 1954 and ran Hidden Valley Ranch, offering hiking tours, horseback riding and fishing, in the day. At night, folks would enjoy a home-cooked meal before gathering around the campfire to listen to stories. Guests came to enjoy the great outdoors and wholesome meals, but it was something else that made them come back: the delicious, homemade buttermilk salad dressing with a special blend of herbs and spices lovingly prepared by the proprietor — what we know today as the original Ranch dressing.

Who knew that Hidden Valley® Ranch dressing, a mix of herbs, spices and buttermilk whipped up back in the ‘50s would grow to sell throughout the United States and eventually in more than 30 countries? Ranch has become America's favorite dressing and can be found in virtually every restaurant these days. It is enjoyed on everything from salads and vegetables to pizza and fried chicken. Today, you can still enjoy the taste of Original Ranch with its perfect blend of herbs and spices and also try great new flavors born from our rich heritage.

My Thoughts~!!

We found the Hidden Valley Ranch Original Dressing to be very flavourable and quite tasty. We found ourselves putting it on many things and not just salad. We found it delicious with our pizza, dipping sauce for potato chips and vegetables, putting it on sandwiches, mixing in with our mashed potatoes, using it in our pasta, our coleslaw and mixing it in with our dumplings instead of just milk as the liquid additive.

Everything we used this upon gave our food a definitive edge to the overall flavour of whatever it was we were trying to enhance. We preferred the Original versus the 50% Fat Free and the Fat Free versions. The Original was thick and creamy and we found with the less fat in it, the more watery it became, which isn't something this family likes all to well. We want our Ranch dressing to be thick and creamy and while the Original does deliver such highlights, the others were as well received, though they didn't lack in flavour only in texture.

The other drawback was to the bottle design, some of the bottles had a small opening at the top to allow for better control in pouring and others did not. It would be beneficial if ALL bottles carried the smaller spout opening, without such it comes cascading out of the bottle without any real control and you end up with more than you bargained for. There was no apparent rhyme nor reason as to which bottles carried the spout and which didn't.

We shared some of the bottle samples with our neighbours, to give an extra opinion and the consensus seems to be the same. The less fat, the more watery and the spout is a bonus that was enjoyed by all.

Hidden Valley Ranch dressing is more than a salad dressing, it is a condiment that can be added to all your cooking enjoyment! The product is versatile to add it to any of your cooking and baking needs!

Friday, July 15, 2011

SYNOPSIS:
A fantastic fantasy adventure with a science fiction flare. LIBERATION Book One of The Andrusian Chronicles Amora Madre is content in the Smokey Mountains pursuing her teaching of love, things of the spirit, and metaphysics. Her childhood invisible playmates, Casey and Nia, are always by her side. But when soul mate Gabriel Ephraim enters her life, she is drawn into the heart of a horrific encounter with the spirit world in the skies over Washington D.C. Catapulted into service for the Intergalactic Supernatural Intelligence Agency, ISIA, the kindred lovers soon discover the existence of an invisible wickedness over the city, its galactic origins, and its evil designs for national and world events. As part of a galactic strike force assembled to dismantle the malevolent force's brutal matrix, Amora and Gabriel, seasoned and accomplished, embark on a dangerous adventure filled with Onaweyans, historical figures, and a confrontation with the dark supernatural syndicate over the fate of the United States and the earth. With journeys into dimensional worlds, interactions with fantastic creatures, and revelation of the current struggle between the spiritual forces of good and evil, LIBERATION draws the reader into a world where the spiritual dimensions and reality converge.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Norm MacDonald: Me Doing Standup takes us to the edge of jocularity with his comedic approach to standup comedy. Infamously known for his long, drawn out punchlines, and sarcastic, nonchalant wit, Norm delivers the laughs in this short, sixty minute, standup comedy routine.

Ranging in topics from death, which will leave you gasping for breath as he approaches a delicate subject with mirth, to homosexuality, which was a little more difficult for him to pull off; it will leave you laughing until your sides ache! Other topics include alcoholism, family, the media, Tiger Woods, O.J. Simpson, and more!

With a fair deal of profanity, the jokes are delivered in only a way that Norm MacDonald can pull off. Without being overly vulgar, he broaches some fairly risky topics without bearing malice from the audience. The faces shared of the crowd scenes shows them enjoying themselves and the event they are a part of, sometimes including the audience into his routine, the energy being fed to Norm is exactly the kind a comedian requires to enable a spectacular performance.

Each segment of his act takes you on a roller coaster ride of laughs, riding each as you crest to the top and coast to the bottom to be uplifted time and again. If you are a Norm MacDonald fan, you will not be disappointed and, even if you aren't, this DVD has the merit to deliver.

On the minor side of things, Norm is showing his age in this latest performance. His physique has changed considerably, his cheeks and nose reddened, his onstage presence slow to pick up; however, the punchlines are delivered with gusto and finesse.

Included in this one-disk DVD you will be pleased to find bonus features which include Norm's pilot episode of Back To Norm, in which Rob Schneider guest hosted, also included is the roast of Bob Saget, which I found to be a bit wooden and cliched and the hilarious, animated short, "The Twelves Days of Christmas".

SYNOPSIS:Class Struggle takes you deep into the heart of San Antonio's "Webster High School," an institution that seems to revel in dysfunction. Told from the point of view of a bemused teacher, Class Struggle is a guided tour through the landscapes and minefields of modern urban education. Come along and meet intriguing characters - the brilliant student "on a quest to kill," the barking boy, the substitute teacher who won't shut up, and many others - who'll make you laugh, cry, and scream! This is a book you won't want to put down ... whether you're a student, a parent, a teacher - or just someone who loves roller coaster rides.

SYNOPSIS:
This family-friendly guide shows parents how to dramatically improve their baby photos and create beautiful, memorable albums without extensive experience, technical knowledge, or equipment. Featuring more than 150 striking examples of successful pictures, the book provides the skills and technique to create excellent portraits, action shots, group pictures and more.

Written in an easy-to-understand, to-the-point tone, the book evolves from general to specific photographic concepts, with chapters including: seeing your children, the value of shooting close ups, portraits, capturing different moods, backgrounds and environments, film and editing, choosing b/w or color, the technical side, and family photos. Dozens of tips and instructions for bringing creativity to kids' photos are featured, including posing and catching great non-posed shots, working with children as models, advice on equipment, and more.

A chapter on "Tips for Photographing All Ages" gives recommendations on how to get the best pictures in all stages of a childís life. Special assignment forms help the reader go beyond good intentions, get organized, and fulfill their goal of excellent portraiture.